Pregnancy is...

Throwing up driving on the freeway
Feeling baby kick late at night
Craigslist shopping for baby items
Chocolate soymilk every morning
Never-ending migraines
Online maternity shopping addiction
Hearing the miracle of a tiny heartbeat
Mexican food always
Citrus fruits in the winter (thank goodness we live in California!)
Lots and lots of naps
Packing away clothes that don't fit :(
Watching all seasons of Downton Abbey
Prenatal pilates
Singing primary songs to baby
Sweet blessings from Mike
Reading about baby's new developments
Sitting in my rocking chair
Detailed dreams of baby
Back aches and pains

Despite the pains and sickness and blood draws (why do they take so much?!), this little miracle inside of me makes me so incredibly happy. Nearly halfway now, September is coming quick and we couldn't be more excited! Just counting down the minutes til the gender reveal ultrasound tomorrow, yipee!

July

Is it already August?? This month has flown by! I've been busy with the new job, mike's been working hard on the startup, and we filled our free time training (marathon for me, tough mudder for the hubs), fun family vacations and weekend trips to get out of the gloomy SF summer. (Lucky for us we get an indian summer in October :)

Due to the busy month, I'll simply post some of my favorite iphone pics. Enjoy!

1-4th of july picnic 2-liz the photographer 3-with tyson at laguna beach 4-les mis with the nelson's 5-drive to yosemite
6-sea world with the adams 7-mike hiking half dome 8-klarissa's baby shower 9-jetskiing at new melones lake

June

My 25th Birthday - The hubby and I went shopping and to dinner at Hyde Street Seafood, so delicious. The following weekend we had a 'wine & cheese' birthday party with a bunch of our good friends.

US Open - We got tickets to the practice round on wednesday and spotted Tiger & Rory (thanks EY!)

New job, New car- I got a fantastic new job at Sequoia Capital and we got a new car for my commute!

Roommate Reunion - I loved seeing my roomies! The boys golfed, and girls laid out at the pool...the best! Also got to see our families while in Utah :)

Yosemite - We took a little day trip in our new car to Yosemite and hiked up to gorgeous Vernal falls.

January - April

January through April were pretty much a blur thanks to busy season! But we did manage to fit in some fun events & visitors amidst the craziness!

- Tyson's baby blessing in AZ
- Jeff & Estee come to visit
- Mike joins the startup world
- Em & Chad come to visit
- We buy a Vespa
- Tia gets married

A new year

New years was fabulous. We started the day with a much anticipated "surprise activity" with mike's family. We all got super artsy/ghostlike making pottery at sundance, and enjoyed a wonderful meal at the grill.

The night got pretty exciting when we figured out my sister Tia & Dan had reservations at the same restaurant just an hour later. And because we kinda sorta knew he might be proposing, mike & I braved the cold and took some sneaky pictures from outside. Unfortunately the "on one knee" scene happened in a private location outside, but we did get some good dinner pics. Can't wait for April 27th!

Later that night we met up with the Zwick fam for the midnight festivities including toasts and fireworks!

My 2012 goals include reading the Book of Mormon and running my 2nd marathon!

Christmas Photos

Sleigh Ride

We went on a fun sleigh ride with the Adams on christmas eve. It was a beautiful, chilly evening. (And the lighting was perfect for my new camera :) Unfortunately the lack of snow turned our sleigh into more of a wagon, but it was still really great. The sleigh dropped us off at a little cabin where we enjoyed a delicious country dinner.

Little America

Ever since my dad was little, the Zwick's have gone to Little America on Christmas Eve. It's the perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit, with good food & family. This year was a little different since my sweet Grandma Zwick passed away this year. I missed seeing her in her Christmas sweater, giving hugs, and handing out her hand-written cards & treats to all the grandchildren & great-grandkids. She truly was remarkable. We're lucky to still have my Grandpa here to carry on the Zwick tradition.

Bowling

A couple days before the holiday festivities started, we went bowling with the entire Zwick family (Grandpa Z included!) We all enjoyed some friendly competition, and watching the kids go nuts. Highlights of the night include: Mike's curveball, Grandpa Z's fierce competitiveness, and Blake's victory dance after every turn, love him!

Update

We had a wonderful holiday season spent with both families in Utah (and two weeks off work!) I got a sweet new camera for Christmas so I have about a bazillion photos to post.

We came back right in time for my busy season, thus no time to blog. I'll gradually post about our trip, because you know I'll have nothing else exciting to post until May - unless you're interested in excel tricks and audit procedures...

For now, here is one of my favorite photos from the trip - Howie is so photogenic.

P.S. I'm loving the blogger iphone app. Anyone else use it?

miss ellie

Last week I went to BYU for recruiting (love my job!) just in time for my niece's birthday party. I had to put up some pics of the kids (sorry for the blurry ones), they are just too cute. I did fail to get pictures of all 9 adults and 5 kids doing the hokey pokey, playing pin the tail on the donkey, and competing in the limbo. Next time :)

ellie

blakey

katey

utah visit

While in Utah, we spent hit up our favorite places to eat, made lots of visits, and went to a BYU game. It was nice taking a little break from work, and spending quality time with friends & family.

Mike & Grandma Adams

Back at BYU!

Cheesy BYU pic

Chili's with the family

grandma

My dear grandma zwick returned home to heavenly father. She was one of the most christ-like women I've ever met. She always made everyone around her feel so loved. I especially love that she always made me feel important, and never missed a state tennis match, musical play, birthday phone call, or countless other special occasions. She sewed my baptism dress and made the best texas sheath cake ever. I miss her so much, but I know she's continuing her service on the other side. I can't wait to see her again.

Mike & Blake

All the grandsons

My family

Me & Grandpa

mike is 25!

Mike's birthday conveniently fell on labor day this year which means we had birthday celebrations all weekend long! The family came in town from AZ to celebrate with us. It was a fun-filled weekend - beach, shopping, pedicures for the girls, golf for the boys, giants v. dbacks game, and LOTS of yummy food. Unfortunately I was lame and only took a couple pictures with my phone...

Mike & his delicious birthday cake from Suzie Cakes.

The whole gang out to dinner at Bobo's. Best. Steak. Ever.
Thanks for coming to visit Adams Family!

*And for all you Bachelor/Bachelorette fans out there...
When I picked up mike's birthday cake in the marina, I spotted this lovely guy, and took a pretty obvious paparazzi pic with my phone - at least he looked :)